


Lies

by murdergatsby



Series: Eunoia [2]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Apologies, Comfort, Digestivo Feelings, Hannibal Loves Will, Lowkey Love Confessions, M/M, Will Loves Hannibal, Will Makes Hannibal's Heart Race, Will Taking Care Of Hannibal, hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-07-24 10:32:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7504873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/murdergatsby/pseuds/murdergatsby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>I miss my dogs. I'm not going to miss you.</i><br/>-<br/>Will admits to a (three year old) lie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lies

**Author's Note:**

> My second fic for [Hannibal Cre-Ate-Ive's #ItsStillBeautiful TWOTL Anniversary Event](http://hannibalcreative.tumblr.com/post/148067771429/join-us-for-itsstillbeautiful-what-is-it)
> 
> I had this [idea](https://twitter.com/teacupsmasher/status/743084290963951616) a while ago, and wanted to see if I could put it into words~~

_I miss my dogs. I’m not going to miss you. I’m not going to find you. I’m not going to look for you._

_I don’t want to know where you are or what you do. I don’t want to think about you anymore._

_-_

Hannibal’s eyes opened into straight sunlight. His clothes were new and dry, soft against his skin that felt still felt raw and sensitive. His body ached, but not in the same ways it had on the shore.

The main cabin only had a single skylight, but the positioning of sun brought the box of light directly down to where Hannibal’s head was laying on his pillow. He shifted away from it to let himself look around properly.

Will had made his place near the foot of the bed; sitting in a fold-out deck chair that he had crammed into the small space, between the edges of the mattress and the walls. One of his arms stretched across the bed and caressed Hannibal’s hand.

His grip was nearly nonexistent, and his head was turned towards the door rather than focused on Hannibal. Hannibal could tell Will wasn’t asleep, but he perhaps wished he was. He smiled and turned his hand within Will’s to hold it.

The sudden strength in Hannibal’s touch startled Will. He jumped in his seat, causing the wood to squeak against its metal hinges. He gasped upon seeing Hannibal’s open eyes, and turned it gracefully into a chuckle.

“Uh, hey.” Will said casually and gentle, as if he hadn’t just been stumbling on the edge of tears.

“Hello.” Hannibal replied. He maintained his smile as he tried to settle his fluttering heartbeat.

Hearing Hannibal’s voice made it feel like something had physically moved from Will’s shoulders. There had been too many moments between their reunion and now, where Will had thought he may never hear again. But now they were safe and sound on a boat in the sea, and Will felt like he could breathe again.

“How are you feeling?” Will asked after a much needed deep breath. He stroked the side of his own face with the back of his free hand, eventually resting his knuckles against his lips.

“Better.” Hannibal said as he adjusted his shoulders against his pillow. He sat himself upright and winced as his skin pulled against the stitches in his side. “You took good care of me.” He assured, seeing the worry grow in wild in Will’s eyes. He added a quick squeeze of Will’s hand for good measure.

Regardless of the squeeze, Will stood and pulled his hand free. He lifted the corner of the blanket, and then Hannibal’s sweater. He didn’t allow Hannibal any protest on the matter.

The wound beneath was an easy pink, like the internal petals of a rose. It looked healthy, and Will could already see the signs that it was closing itself up.

“I’m glad.” Will said, now feeling more convinced.

Hannibal hummed with a kind of approval. He let his line of sight travel to the other side of the room, suddenly desperate for a distraction as Will brought careful fingers to his injury.

Hannibal quickly noticed how the blankets on the opposite side of the bed bunched around a human shape that was no longer there. It was clear that Will had been sleeping beside him, but not under the blankets. He raised his eyebrows.

“There should be another room, if you’re uncomfortable sleeping here.” He said. He wanted to believe that Will had accompanied him in bed willingly, not that Will had done so because he wasn’t aware he had his own.

Will paused. He let Hannibal’s sweater fall back into place, and unconsciously tucked him back inside the blankets. He smoothed them into place, gently pressing his palm against the lines of Hannibal’s body.

“You’ve been drifting in and out.” He finally explained, when he felt he had all the words in the right order. The words were a compromise with in himself to prevent babbling, and they sounded passive.  

He _wanted to_ babble and tell Hannibal how scared he had been, and how he had done his fair share of crying against Hannibal’s shoulder before letting himself sleep. The fact that his own injuries had kept him pretty bedridden himself hadn’t helped him feel any more secure, and staying in the other room only filled him with the dread that Hannibal would be dead in the morning.

That dread still existed while sharing the bed, but it wasn’t as brutal. The nightmares were less.

“I just wanted to make sure you were alright, before I settled in."

Hannibal found himself locked on Will’s face while he spoke. He was still bruised- dark browns and greens reaching around his cheek and eye socket like a clawed hand. The stab wound in Will’s face was dark and puckered. Hannibal knew it was going to scar, most likely holding a deep red pigmentation when it did. He wondered how Will’s shoulder looked, and how any of his other injuries were coming along with their healing. He wanted to run his hands over them in the same way Will had just done his.

“And I am alright.” Hannibal reminded. “A bit weak, but I’ve been in worse shape. I should pull through.”

Will felt himself smile. The curl of his lips felt unfamiliar against his teeth but it was an honest expression none-the-less.

It had only been a few days but it had felt like ages since he had been able to really _speak_ to Hannibal. Most of their encounters had been made of short sentences and groans as Hannibal fought to stay conscious, inevitably losing and falling back into a place where Will couldn’t reach him. How much _better_ Will felt just by hearing Hannibal talk was overwhelming. It made him want to leave the room.

“I’m glad.” Will said before patting the edge of the bed as a way to say _goodbye_. He walked towards the door, clumsily folding away the chair he had been sitting in and leaning it against the wall as if he intended to come back and use it again.

As he reached the threshold, he paused. He rested his hand against the doorframe as if he needed it to steady himself.

“Hannibal?” Will called, quiet enough that he could convince himself that Hannibal may not hear. He looked back at Hannibal over his shoulder.

Hannibal lifted his chin as a way to signify that he had heard him. He looked concerned.

Will mulled what he wanted to say again, for a longer time than he intended. The silence created a thickening apprehension between the two of them. There was so much he wanted to say, and so much he knew could realistically wait.

“I did miss you.” He finally said. The words fell from his mouth like a mistake, but he meant them.

Hannibal’s heart knotted-up somewhere in his throat, a feeling he wasn’t used to except when in the presence of Will. He blinked his eyes rapidly instead of speaking.

Will laughed at the expression. He didn’t expect Hannibal to look so surprised.

“Don’t look at me like I hit you.” He added.

Hannibal mimicked the laugh with a toothy grin. “I missed you too, Will.” He said. “More than I could dream to put into words.”

"But you..." Will began, pulling his bottom lip against his teeth. "You know what I mean, right?"

Hannibal nodded. "Yes."

Will took a deep breath, shut the door behind him as he left. Again, Hannibal tried to settle the fluttering of his heart.


End file.
